1. Prince--music is sampled and emulated all over the map
2. Michael Jackson--laid the blueprint for Usher and Justin Timberlake
3. Madonna--the standard by which all tarts (britany, Christina et al. are measured
4. Bruce Springsteen--blue collar work ethic rock and roll
5. Lionel Ritchie--maudlin pop at it's best
[Edited 9/16/04 21:07pm]

meltwithu said:

i'm with u..cept for lionel...don't like him much.

I'd have to throw George Michael in the mix be4 I would include Lionel.

wishuhvn said:

George Micheal or Whitney Houston

meltwithu said:

That's all Michael Jackson can be credited for?!? Man, that must suck. Hell, what about just merely introducing the record buying audience all across the world a whole new race! That's nothing apparently.

The first 4 I get but there has to have been someone bigger than the man Lionel in the 80's. The real big 5 80's acts should include U2 I reckon even tho I prefer Freddie and his Queens. If your just looking for single artists then what about Tina Turner or Bowie, he never went out of fashion (turn to the left).

meltwithu said:

Springsteen helped keep bue collar at the forefront. Too bad he charges $100.00 to see his show. Not many blue collar workers can afford that.
Michael Jackson made no difference. I don't care if that pisses some of you off. Unless you think his contribution to crap N'SYNC songs means something, he was useless.
Madonna. Hmm. Like a Prayer was a little above average. Otherwise, she really was nothing more than the inspiration for crappy fake singers like Britney Spears.
Lionel Ritchie. Fuck him. He always sucked. He always will.

You forgot to mention Prince. While I don't think he influenced many of the new corporate "pop" stars, I think he revived Rock and Roll. Prince meant something (and he still does). He was a HUGE influence on pop culture, if not a huge influence on pop music.

Luv & Peace,
Alex
Did rock just die?

sloopydrew4u said:

My god you are wrong on so many levels. Prince influenced pop culture and MJ didn't? Get real, that is jokes.
Michael Jackson and Madonna had a huge influence on pop music, of course what came after them was really crappy, butthey did lay the blueprints for the future artists. Prince did as well, but not as much pop music.

Novabreaker said:

that's right. he's also been covered and sampled alot of times too.

What about Belinda Carlisle?
[Edited 9/17/04 5:55am]

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[Edited 9/17/04 5:55am]

I am as big a Prince fan as anyone but I cannot rank him number one on that list. I would look at it this way:

1) Madonna-Not a big fan but undeniably influential in the pop music scene. Her courting of controversy, her grand statement videos (a new Madonna video used to be a world-stopping event), her use of blatant sexuality, her outright agressiveness to be the biggest thing in the world...definitely an inspiration for almost all of the female pop singers that came after her.

2) Michael Jackson-Taking away all we learned about him the 90's, there is no denying that MJ's impact on music was huge in the 80's. His showmanship and his pursuit of new dance moves, his brilliantly produced pop songs..an inspiration for Usher, JT, and many other solo male R and B singers. Much more often mentioned as an influence than Prince.

3) Prince- His influence is undeniable on performers like Outkast, D' Angelo, and Alicia Keyes. And he's sampled a lot too. But Prince was such a chameleon in the 80's that it is hard to say his style influenced too many other performers. Quite frankly, most of the pop stars today do not have the balls to be as different and out there as P. One thing he greatly influenced...the Princebonics substitute of You (U) and To (to) in songs.

4) Janet Jackson-Style over substance, great sound but little talent, can dance but has to lip synch. Does that sound like about half of the acts that are on the pop charts right now.

5) Whitney Houston- As messed up as she has gotten, the woman could sing. An inspiration to all of the divas out there.


I don't really see where Bruce or Lionel are influencing anybody these days.

HELLOOOOO


did we forget:

Terence Trent D'arby???


he was GOD back in the day.

pssh.

Contro said:

I initially picked Lionel Richie as a weak 5th spot, but yeah Whitney Houston kinda laid the blueprint for paint-by numbers-diva-dom--power ballads, bubble gum r&b

sexkitten04 said:

Right up there with vanilla Ice and Bell Biv Devoe

thekidsgirl said:

MC Hammer, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Teena Marie, Rick James, and Tooti from the Facts Of Life!!

GottaLetitgo said:

I disagree. The question was the influence the major 80's music stars have had on MUSIC today. Prince's legacy on that front is unmatched. I mean, when you take a look at the sheer number of artists from many different genres who have been influenced by (and sometimes have straight-up coopted) Prince's music, INCLUDING Janet Jackson, the others pale in comparison.

Madonna's influence on the music business is probably without peer. Although many have attempted to emulate her sound, it could be argued that Janet Jackson is as big an influence on the pop divas of the last 20 years as Madonna is. And when you look her actual body of work, there are several good songs, but as a whole they fall far short of Prince's body of work.

Michael Jackson is arguably the biggest musical star of the last century. Many have tried to emulate him and he is a good singer (when he actually pronounces the words to the song). But as far as a musical impact, Quincy Jones deserves a lion's share of the credit.

meltwithu said:

Prince-affected the Alicia Keys, Bilals and D'Angelo's of our time.
Michael Jackson-affected the Urshas and Justin Timberfakes of our time.
Madonna-affected the sluts such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera of our time.
Bruce Springsteen-affected whatever rock star who looks like they haven't bathed in 10 years.
Lionel Ritchie-affected every sellout in the world.

okaypimpn said:

GottaLetitgo said:

If you look at album sales, Bruce Springsteen was a lot bigger than Janet during the eighties.

meltwithu said:

Actually, Britney gets the wealth of her influences from Janet (the large, drill team-esque sequences, her interchangable team of dancers, dancing with the chair in the "Stronger" video, etc.) The only Madonna influences are her slutiness and wearing an underwear and trenchcoat onstage. She gets that slutiness from her.

Christina is more influenced vocally by Whitney Houston.

JANFAN4L said:

I thought Mariah Carey was Christina's idol.

To keep it real, Janet Jackson has affected today's music scene substantially...

Britney lifts most of her dancing style from Janet. She even uses some of Janet's dancers in her tours and choreographers for a few of her videos.

Janet largely popularized the use of choreographers in videos. It can be seen in artists' videos ranging from Aaliyah, Brandy, Monica, Beyonce, Christina, Tamia, Ashanti, and any other one-named chick you can think of.

She influenced J.Lo (who is one of today's biggest stars) who also happened to be a dancer for Janet.

Janet even affected music in the late 80s and early 90s. To keep it real Jody Watley, Karyn White ("Secret Rendezvous"), Pebbles, and other artists were jocking Janet after the "Control" era.

A lot of people were biting Janet's style. For instance, Tracie Spencer bit Janet's RN1814 in a knock-off called "Double O Rhythm" from the Make The Difference album.

Janet's smile and sweet personality was mimicked by Shanice around the "Inner Child" era with videos like "I Love Your Smile," "It's For You," etc.

sextonseven said:

I'm not an über-Christina fan, but I remember seeing her on the Mickey Mouse Club as a young girl and she would always cite Whitney as an influence. Also, she sung a song from the Bodyguard SDTK on the Mickey Mouse Club show. Plus, she sang for Whitney at the first annual BET Awards.

was lionel a top 80's star? i thought tina turner would be on the list before lionel...

Listen to a Madonna song. Listen to a Britney Spears song. No comparison. Other than the sluttiness, how exactly did she influence the pop tarts of today, most of which are a weird hybrid of Debbie Gibson and Madonna ca. 1992? Britney's done 4 carbon copy albums in a row - I don't think Madonna can be accused of that. When Britney morphs in any manner or attempts pop with actual substance, then I might see the Madonna influence.

VoicesCarry said:

with all due respect...ray of light, music and american life are all VERY similar records. madonna's self titled release and like a virgin are also VERY similar. britney is no madonna, that's for sure, but to say there is no influence or any room for comparison is stretching it...at the very least.

.
[Edited 9/17/04 14:39pm]

sallysassalot said:

Early Madonna, perhaps, I grant you that. But after True Blue, I don't see much that's comparable, musically.

VoicesCarry said:

i think the erotica album and bedtime stories ar eboth comparable to britney's current style. i'm not saying britney's cds are on the same level...just that they are in the same category.

Novabreaker said:

Which race is that? LOL!

No, Michael just introduced MTV to a whole new race--which is pretty important when you think about it. But I think Stevie Wonder had the record buying public in the palm of his hand before that. The man would win grammy awards even during the years he didn't release any albums. I also recall Diana Ross being incredibly popular in the 70s.

sallysassalot said:

Oh well, I disagree. To me, Britney's done four Like A Virgins in a row, the sum of which still do not equal the original Like A Virgin. Erotica and Bedtime Stories were both mature albums with superb production, lyrics and grooves. Britney has yet to make a "Secret", "Human Nature", "Rain", "Bedtime Story" or "Erotica" (that would require her to progress beyond the childish brand of sexuality she toys with).